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I used to review curriculum, now I create it

The High School “Gap”

When asked what some of the “problems” or “issues” are that I see in the homeschool world, I cannot help but consider high school. Having three kids in this category, I sometimes find myself struggling to meet their individual needs—which, as it turns out, there are a lot of. Truly, I don’t know if anything […]

#9: Freedom

You know the popular saying, “Ignorance is bliss”? So often in our lives it is easier to just pretend everything is okay and allow ourselves to be like a rubber dingy in the ocean, tossed around by the waves of what life brings. But this isn’t what we were called to. You and I have been called to be rooted, to stand firm, to suit up, and to be on guard. We all talk about spring cleaning our houses, but what about spring cleaning our hearts? As quickly as our kids’ bedrooms can be destroyed, our perspective can be tainted by the lies we believe and the license we give ourselves to be entitled to our feelings. Come join me for a podcast about taking your thoughts (and feelings) captive and how important it is to be on guard for those little foxes (Song of Solomon 2:14-16).

You know the popular saying, “Ignorance is bliss”? So often in our lives it is easier to just pretend everything is okay and allow ourselves to be like a rubber dingy in the ocean, tossed around by the waves of what life brings. But this isn’t what we were called to. You and I have been called to be rooted, to stand firm, to suit up, and to be on guard. We all talk about spring cleaning our houses, but what about spring cleaning our hearts? As quickly as our kids’ bedrooms can be destroyed, our perspective can be tainted by the lies we believe and the license we give ourselves to be entitled to our feelings. Come join me for a podcast about taking your thoughts (and feelings) captive and how important it is to be on guard for those little foxes (Song of Solomon 2:14-16).

#8: Ownership

What are you taking ownership of? We’ve talked about taking our thoughts captive, but what happens when we don’t? Today we’ll be talking about some practical tools to get up and fight—and teach our children. If you’ve been speaking “I am, I have, I’m not, I can’t, I don’t . . . ” it’s time to test them against the Word. Are they true? Are they life? If not . . . they’re about to get an eviction notice. This one’s a doozy!

What are you taking ownership of? We've talked about taking our thoughts captive, but what happens when we don't? Today we'll be talking about some practical tools to get up and fight—and teach our children. If you've been speaking "I am, I have, I'm not, I can't, I don't . . . " it's time to test them against the Word. Are they true? Are they life? If not . . . they're about to get an eviction notice. This one's a doozy!

#7: Undone

Today’s podcast episode is all about the heart: The power of a heart that has been unraveled and is weak so that He can be strong. Whether you are walking through a season of being undone or just feeling desensitized and not even realizing how hard you have become, God seems to be highlighting to be a recurring theme of the heart. Hear some real stories of the power of compassion and gentleness as Rebecca shares some of her victories and failures, and walk away with hope in the midst of your storm, or a call to action to rise up and engage in the battle that you are most assuredly in—whether you are engaging in it or not. “Be strong and very courageous,” it’s time to fight!

Today’s podcast episode is all about the heart: The power of a heart that has been unraveled and is weak so that He can be strong. Whether you are walking through a season of being undone or just feeling desensitized and not even realizing how hard you have become, God seems to be highlighting to be a recurring theme of the heart. Hear some real stories of the power of compassion and gentleness as Rebecca shares some of her victories and failures, and walk away with hope in the midst of your storm, or a call to action to rise up and engage in the battle that you are most assuredly in—whether you are engaging in it or not. “Be strong and very courageous,” it’s time to fight!

#6: To the Overwhelmed

To the overwhelmed…I see you. I see the weight that seems to be pressing in on all sides. I know what it is to feel like you can’t breathe, to feel like you are failing on all sides. But I also know that the enemy of your soul wants you to believe it and stay stuck there and that is NOT what God has for you. Even in the midst of the storm, He has peace. Even in the midst of the pressure, He has joy. If you have been feeling crushed, come refocus your perspective so that you can remind yourself of what is true and start walking in victory. Come on and take my hand, and let’s walk out of this pit together . . .

To the overwhelmed...I see you. I see the weight that seems to be pressing in on all sides. I know what it is to feel like you can’t breathe, to feel like you are failing on all sides. But I also know that the enemy of your soul wants you to believe it and stay stuck there and that is NOT what God has for you. Even in the midst of the storm, He has peace. Even in the midst of the pressure, He has joy. If you have been feeling crushed, come refocus your perspective so that you can remind yourself of what is true and start walking in victory. Come on and take my hand, and let’s walk out of this pit together . . .

#5: Confidence

Do you struggle with confidence? Do you feel like a wave blown and tossed by the winds of the many different opinions and perspectives that you are faced with? Are you often uncertain or plagued with doubt and insecurity? In this episode, Rebecca shares her life passage and the invitation she feels we have as Christians to rise up and walk in maturity—to stop looking to the world for affirmation, confirmation, or qualification, and start learning how to hear God’s voice and discern for ourselves. Whether you are insecure about your homeschool decisions, your theology, your marriage, your parenting, or anything else, this one’s for you!

Do you struggle with confidence? Do you feel like a wave blown and tossed by the winds of the many different opinions and perspectives that you are faced with? Are you often uncertain or plagued with doubt and insecurity? In this episode, Rebecca shares her life passage and the invitation she feels we have as Christians to rise up and walk in maturity—to stop looking to the world for affirmation, confirmation, or qualification, and start learning how to hear God’s voice and discern for ourselves. Whether you are insecure about your homeschool decisions, your theology, your marriage, your parenting, or anything else, this one’s for you!

#4: Stay Soft

Staying soft and flexible despite hurt and disappointment is not easy. It takes intentionality, it takes practice and purpose. Like a shield around us, we put up walls, distance ourselves, or become more rigid and set in our ways—determined that we are right and only those who agree with us can stay. In today’s episode, Rebecca shares a picture God gave her of how we can stay soft and flexible even amidst the hurt and disappointment. It is much harder, but it brings freedom. Come sit at the table and let’s talk about it!

Staying soft and flexible despite hurt and disappointment is not easy. It takes intentionality, it takes practice and purpose. Like a shield around us, we put up walls, distance ourselves, or become more rigid and set in our ways—determined that we are right and only those who agree with us can stay. In today's episode, Rebecca shares a picture God gave her of how we can stay soft and flexible even amidst the hurt and disappointment. It is much harder, but it brings freedom. Come sit at the table and let's talk about it!

#3: True Discipleship

Are you hungry for true community and discipleship in your life or is God laying on your heart the desire to be that for someone else? Let’s talk about it–what it can look like, what it definitely does not look like, and what she sees as some of the core problems. God is bringing healing and restoration to His body, and one of the ways He is doing this is through family and community. It is time for the older to teach the younger, for the mothers and fathers to rise up and speak life, and for us to lean on one another as the body of Christ.

Are you hungry for true community and discipleship in your life or is God laying on your heart the desire to be that for someone else? Let’s talk about it--what it can look like, what it definitely does not look like, and what she sees as some of the core problems. God is bringing healing and restoration to His body, and one of the ways He is doing this is through family and community. It is time for the older to teach the younger, for the mothers and fathers to rise up and speak life, and for us to lean on one another as the body of Christ.

#2: No Condemnation

Join Rebecca in her morning devotions as she shares from Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We’ll be talking about the difference between judgement and condemnation, the problem with extremism in the body of Christ, and how we can walk with discernment rather than judgement, being led by the Holy Spirit rather than our own self-righteousness. This is a dig deep, pull out your Bible, and “search me and know me” kind of episode . . . it ain’t no milk. If you’re hungry for a little bit of “spiritual solid food”, this one’s for you.

Join Rebecca in her morning devotions as she shares from Romans 8:1: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." We'll be talking about the difference between judgement and condemnation, the problem with extremism in the body of Christ, and how we can walk with discernment rather than judgement, being led by the Holy Spirit rather than our own self-righteousness. This is a dig deep, pull out your Bible, and "search me and know me" kind of episode . . . it ain't no milk. If you're hungry for a little bit of "spiritual solid food", this one's for you.

#1: Sustainable Rhythms

Join Rebecca as she shares her struggles, her burnout, her low points, and her failures and the calling God is laying on her heart to slow down and find some peace in the midst of the storms of life. Sometimes you can’t stop the doing—life goes on, kids need you, businesses don’t “slow down” when you want them to—but like Jesus, we can sleep in the bow of the boat, unconcerned. Like Peter, we can step out onto the water. Or maybe just like the disciples, we can only manage to cry out “Master! Save us!” No matter where we are at in our relationship with God, let’s stop trying to bail out the water on our own strength and take a minute to seek what God has for us instead.

Join Rebecca as she shares her struggles, her burnout, her low points, and her failures and the calling God is laying on her heart to slow down and find some peace in the midst of the storms of life. Sometimes you can't stop the doing—life goes on, kids need you, businesses don't "slow down" when you want them to—but like Jesus, we can sleep in the bow of the boat, unconcerned. Like Peter, we can step out onto the water. Or maybe just like the disciples, we can only manage to cry out "Master! Save us!" No matter where we are at in our relationship with God, let's stop trying to bail out the water on our own strength and take a minute to seek what God has for us instead.

Gather ‘Round with Rebecca Spooner (Intro)

Who is Rebecca Spooner? What is this podcast about? In this intro, hear how Rebecca hopes to use this podcast to talk freely about whatever God is laying on her heart. Come walk alongside Rebecca for encouragement as God uses her journey and imperfections to point everything back to Him.  

What Should We Do?

This past week I have been wrestling. Wrestling with my Christian response to everything that is happening right now in our government, in our country, in our province. God, when do I stand, when do I wait? The biggest thing I am personally feeling (and I do believe we all have to go to God […]

#75 Put on Your Blinders…

Have you ever faced a season in your life where you just feel lost in a sea of mud? Maybe you are facing judgement and condemnation, maybe you are feeling pressured or rejected, maybe you are busy and overwhelmed. Whatever the situation is, the idea of running your race can feel downright daunting. In today’s […]

#74 The Power of Life and Death

Today’s episode is all about the tongue. In our reading through the rest of 1 Samuel this week and David’s psalms and praises, I have been so struck by the power of our words. From declaring who God is, to declaring to our soul, to speaking truth, to being for peace… it can be incredibly […]

#73 A Woman After God’s Own Heart

In our Bible reading plan (which you can download for free by the way) we have been reading about David, who was known as being a man after God’s own heart. And it made me ponder why. Why was he called that? Who were the “greats” in the Bible, the fierce women in the Bible, […]

#72 He Is Close

I actually recorded this podcast last week but have been so busy I never got around to posting it. For anyone wanting the most instantaneous podcast updates, I am now posting them first in my free app: Gather ‘Round Homeschool as soon as they are done simply because I don’t have to write a blog […]

#71 Why I Think Our View of Education is Broken

It’s been a long time guys. I’m tired: 3 launches this month and 2 next, online conventions and the insanity of covid-19. I edit, I write, I pray, I homeschool, I don’t cook very often these days so I send Jonathan out to buy food, a lot. Then it starts all over again the next […]

#70 And Yet… God is Good

Even in the storm, he is good. Even in caronavirus, he is good. Today’s episode is a bit different than some of my others. We talk about the current situation that is impacting everyone everywhere in this completely new way and my thoughts on it. I tie in what I’ve been learning in Job and […]

#69 Awe and Wonder

Welcome to our first podcast about our Read Through the Bible in a Year plan! I am fascinated by Genesis. Beginnings are telling, are they not? We get a glimpse not just at a different time period, but of a different set of rules. A set of rules where there was no sickness, where the […]

#68 Spiritual Authority

Spiritual authority: what does that mean and what does it look like? Do you ever feel tired of praying for something and feeling like your prayers aren’t powerful? Today’s episode is my musings on spiritual authority and what I feel God has taught me about this topic. It isn’t about praying a certain way or […]

#67 GODCAST: Read through the Bible with Me

Today I am so incredibly excited to be announcing the release of the completely free chronological bible reading plan that I created. This has been something God laid on my heart a few months ago that I put on the shelf but I have felt really strongly that this is supposed to happen so here it […]

#66 New Direction

Today I talked about everything, just processing all the changes, all the things I think God is calling me into for this blog, podcast, page, group, etc. and where that all came from. I talk about my testimony, I share my heart for why worldview matters, I talked about my speaking schedule, the plan for […]

#65 Homeschooling in the Early Years

I got nothing, no fancy blog post, no fancy pictures. But I figure I can post this episode or I can wait until I have time to blog about it. In today’s episode I interview my 6 year old daughter, and then I finish it off with my thoughts on our interview. If you are […]

#64 Godcast: Intimacy with God

From the earliest I can remember, I was a “Christian”. The word itself grades on me. I feel like it doesn’t mean what it should mean, I feel like it doesn’t accurately portray my relationship with God. You see, I am not a go to church on Sunday, pray when life is hard, ask God […]

#63 Confessions of a Curriculum Junkie

Someone, somewhere out there, is going to be offended by my title. And if you are offended by my title, you will MOST definitely be offended by my examples in today’s podcast episode. Addicted to curriculum, something we laugh about and yet something that can have serious damaging effects on our homeschool journey: discontent, lack […]

A Gather ‘Round Christmas

With Gather ‘Round Homeschool launching every month, I am usually not the person writing anymore… there just simply isn’t enough of me to go around. I spend my days planning and vision casting future units, making the large plans, organizing timelines and deliveries, editing and proofing, answering questions from writers and designers and proofers, and […]

#62 Godcast: Dream and Plod

Earlier this week I posted a podcast episode where I promised a mid-week special. It is late, but it is here! Today’s podcast is a Godcast… it’s all about Him. I hardly mention the word homeschooling so I want to make sure that everyone knows I’m going deep and wide today and am not staying […]

#61 Homeschool Joy

I am hesitating. It is 9am, hours after my podcast normally goes live and here I sit convincing myself that this one should just sit on the bench. But somewhere along the way, I have learned that it is often these posts, these videos, these podcasts that I don’t want to post, that I doubt… […]

#60 Unqualified

Unqualified. It’s just a word, but it is also a judgement based on someone’s opinion. What qualifies you to teach your children or walk in your ministry or help anyone with anything? If we are always looking to someone to qualify us, stamp us with their seal of approval, our qualifications are fickle and in […]

I used to review curriculum, now I create it!